Samuelsson scores in overtime for Canucks

VANCOUVER, British Columbia(AP) -- The Canucks signed Mikael
Samuelsson as a free agent last summer largely because of his
playoff experience in Detroit.

It paid off in his postseason debut in Vancouver on Thursday
night.

Shortly after Canucks goalie Roberto Luongo swept a puck off the
goal line, Samuelsson scored his second goal 8:52 into overtime
to give Vancouver a 3-2 victory over the Los Angeles Kings in
Game 1 of the first-round Western Conference series.

"If you've been around, you know what to expect. That's what
experience is," said Samuelsson, who played 69 playoff games and
won a Stanley Cup during four seasons in Detroit before signing
for three-year, $7.5 million ideal with Vancouver.

"You stay calm because you know what to expect, and you are well
prepared. ... I just play my game and try to pick my spots."

Both goalies made game-saving stops just before Samuelsson ended
it. Los Angeles' Jonathan Quick got across quickly on Henrik
Sedin on a 2-on-1 break 4 minutes into the extra period. Two
minutes later, Luongo lunged back to swipe the puck off the goal
line with his glove after Jack Johnson's rebound attempt hit his
blocker and trickled toward the goal.

"That was a great save," Samuelsson said. "He never quit on the
play and that obviously created other chances later and we put
it away."

Samuelsson won it 3 minutes later, taking Sedin's pass from
behind the net into the high slot and quickly firing a shot over
Quick's glove.

Luongo finished with 25 saves, none bigger than the desperate
swipe in overtime, which came after only seeing two shots
through the entire third period.

"Quick made a ton of big saves and I didn't have many but that
one was just as important," Luongo said of a play that needed
video review. "It was definitely going in, but once I swiped it
off the line I knew it hadn't crossed."

Daniel Sedin scored and set up Samuelsson's second-period
power-play goal, and Henrik Sedin had two assists for the
Canucks, who host Game 2 Saturday night.

Quick finished with 41 saves, and Jarret Stoll and Fredrik Modin
scored power-play goals for the Kings, who came within an inch
of winning their first playoff game since 2002. But Jack Johnson
didn't get all of a rebound attempt at a mostly empty net, and
the puck hit Luongo's arm.

"Once you get into overtime, it's anyone's game," Johnson said.
"It's a game of inches. I wasn't sure if it went in or not. I
had my fingers crossed but that's the playoffs, that's overtime.
You come that close to scoring and then they come down the other
end and score on you."

Los Angeles tied it with 7 minutes left in the second period
after Canucks defenseman Andrew Alberts was given a 5-minute
boarding penalty and game misconduct for elbowing Brad
Richardson's head into the boards from behind.

Vancouver failed on a great chance to clear at the blue line,
and the Kings worked down to Alexander Frolov below the goal
line. His pass back up to Modin at the left faceoff circle was
one-timed past Luongo's glove on the far side.

Los Angeles had several key players making their postseason
debuts, and the Canucks had only lost 11 home games all season
(30-8-3). It showed at times as Vancouver outshot the Kings 17-6
in the opening period and 13-2 in the third.

But Quick, who came into his first playoff winless in eight
starts, was great early. He got across his crease quickly with
the left pad to take an empty net away from Alex Burrows on a
backdoor pass 5 minutes in, and made a stellar glove save off
Samuelsson alone in the slot on a late power-play rebound.

"You've got to feel good about your game to a point and carry it
over to the next game," Quick said. "But at the end of the day
it's not what we wanted."

Stoll opened the scoring on a power play 54 seconds into the
second period with a shot from the high slot with Alberts in the
penalty box for interference.

The Kings' seventh-ranked power play converted two of three
chances against the Canucks' 18th-ranked penalty kill, while
Vancouver's No. 6 power play was 1 for 4 against Los Angeles'
20th-ranked penalty killing.

"Both teams got gritty, hard heavy players, good defensive
players, good goaltending," Stoll said. "Those chances are few
and far between and when you get them, they're usually with the
man advantage."

Samuelsson finally beat Quick on a power play to tie it just
over 2 minutes later, and Daniel Sedin put the Canucks ahead
midway through the second period after nice pass from twin
brother Henrik sent him alone in tight.

"(Samuelsson) played a strong game, got some quality chances,
scored a big goal," Canucks coach Alain Vigneault said.
"Hopefully that experience and that seizing the moment is going
to rub off on some other guys on our team."

NOTES: Alberts may face a suspension, which would leave the
Canucks thin on defense. Aaron Rome hasn't resumed practicing
since sustaining an undisclosed injury a week earlier in San
Jose, leaving only journeyman Nolan Baumgartner. Kings C Anze
Kopitar's stick got stuck in Henrik Sedin's face shield early in
second period and required help at the bench to be removed, but
no high-sticking penalty was called.